The father of the 25-year-old man suspected of bombing a Southern California reproductive clinic says his son was a smart but easily influenced child who once set their house on fire while playing with matches.
Guy Edward Bartkus, who authorities believe was the lone person killed in Saturday’s Palm Springs blast, had a fascination with lighting fires and making model rockets and smoke bombs as a teenager, his father, Richard Bartkus, told various media outlets.
“Nothing major, nothing like a ‘bomb’ bomb, but he’d build rockets, shoot them in the air,” he told The New York Times of his son, whom he said he hadn’t spoken to for more than 10 years after divorcing his mother.
The younger Bartkus accidentally burned down the family’s Yucca Valley home at the age of 9, which landed him on juvenile probation, his father said.
So basically the dude is a bit nuts and he likes to play with fire. Mix in a bad family life and some online influence and he blew something up.
One person doing a crazy thing, and not at all some kind of “movement.” Let’s be sure to shut that shit down if people bring it up.